http://www.nyclu.org/app

*fear

Adding video to channels (Fear) - requested by MrFisk.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'Bill of Rights, threats, abuse, douchebag or giant turd' to 'Saratoga, New York, Deputy, Sheriff, Shawn Glans, Colin Fitch, police, abuse, warrant' - edited by burdturgler

Yeah, too much agenda in this thread.

*promote

Would you like to know more?

He's been suspended (without pay)

From the above article: "I was concerned. It was a public safety issue," the sergeant said. "If I had to do it all over again ... I'd probably do the same thing. If I knew the camera was there, no, because it does look bad."

Invocations (promote) cannot be called by speechless because speechless is not privileged - sorry.

god dammit siftbot! lol

Great link with good info.

I also loved..."I don't comment on internal matters or until we get everything done, all the facts, which we're working on today," the sheriff said....but they'll comment on external matters instantly, accusing others with no evidence at all (just like in this case, accused the kids of doing 'something' in the woods with a gun...a gun that had never been shot or seen outside the car.)

...And this officer has already paralyzed another innocent citizen 'in the line of duty' by speeding 3 times the posted speed limit and driving in the wrong lane of traffic, hitting him head on causing near deadly brain damage costing the state (us) over $6 million!

...and he still states clearly that he'll do this again, unless he knows he's on camera because he knows it's wrong. Why is he still a cop?

This video does not show the beginning of the event.

And this is why the officer should have a small video camera on his uniform. That way he would be able to show the entire encounter to defend his actions.

(AND, knowing that his own actions WILL be recorded, and reviewed if there is an incident, it might encourage the officer to behave better while on the job...)

Almost downvoted your comment..but instead I'll kindly ask you to....
Please read the link above provided by @speechless

He could NOT have defended his actions under ANY circumstances. Physically abusing citizens and denying them their guaranteed rights against illegal search and seizure can NEVER be defended...and that's exactly what he did, he does not deny it, and said he would do it again, unless on camera, because he knows it 'looks' bad...(maybe because it IS bad?).
What happened was they saw 2 kids come out of the woods (from a party nearby) and saw what they thought was a gun in the back of the car the kids were approaching. For some reason, he thought that gives him the right to search the car, and beat the kids until they comply (or until he can snatch their keys). There was no report of any incident, he just needed to be a bully in hopes of finding something to screw them for, apparently because they didn't bow down and kiss his asshole (in their defense, they couldn't tell where to kiss since his entire being is asshole). (the gun was a .22, purchased that day, unfired, in box, with receipt, perfectly legal and never seen outside the car)

Knowing they were being recorded by their own cameras has not stopped MANY a cop from behaving atrociously in recent times, they just don't care most of the time, and get away with it nearly all of the time.

100% correct about the body cams. All police should have them. All cop cars have them, there is no logical reason that all police don't also.

As far as this video not showing the beginning of the event, there is definitely enough footage here to show the cop had no reason to physically assault the victim. There was zero threat and the victim wasn't placed under or resisting arrest. Just an out of control thug cop intimidating and abusing a civilian. There's no way around it.

There are ways the cop could have gotten what he wanted, legally and without being a disgrace to good police everywhere. Call it in. Get the warrant. Search the vehicle. Done. It's that simple. The kids posed no "public safety issue". They were there under the control of the officer on the scene, unarmed and posing no threat to the cop or anyone else. This is all evident in the video.

Thank you for pointing out the linked article.

Let me expand on my thoughts here.

I have no sympathy for the officer in this video after the actions shown. I imagine that the best defence he could muster would be to show what happened leading up to the video we see here. I also highly doubt that such a “best defence” would come anywhere close to justifying how he (mis)handled this recorded interaction. The suspension is absolutely warranted. And I hope it isn’t short.

In regards to police use of cameras, I don’t doubt that some will behave unprofessionally in spite of a camera being present. But knowing that a camera is recording does deter some bad poor behaviour. This jerk cop even says that if he knew he was being recorded that he would have acted differently.


I have been concerned about how many police officers view cameras in general as a threat. I’ve seen so many videos where an officer lashes out about being recorded...

Recording should be viewed favourably. Dashcams are already common on police cars in some areas. They provide evidence, which can and should be used to back up the story filed on any police report. Ideally this recording should show how well the situation was handled by the officer involved. (Gold star for Mr. Officer Good Cop!)

If an officer is uncomfortable getting recorded, or feels threatened by the presence of cameras, they probably shouldn’t be doing what they’re doing, and if they do much of it, they should probably find other work.

If a cop behaves atrociously on a police camera and gets away with it, then the corruption lies deeper than just a cop out of line. And the consequences of that should reach into the administration until anyone involved in such a coverup is removed from public duty. They are no longer fit for the role, if they ever were. There is no room for fraud in an organization that is founded on the principles of upholding the law and protecting the public.

I just want to reply to this bit. It's been proven that human beings (and mammals in general) alter their behavior when they are aware that they're being observed. That doesn't mean they all reject the dark side, but it's clear that for the vast majority, the fear of being caught doing something wrong is greater than whatever impetus there was to do wrong.

Body cams are good for cops and for civilians. It can prove they were right or they were wrong. Either way, the proof is there that wearing a body cam does alter a cop's behavior because they know they're being recorded.

Without a doubt, anyplace that has "installed" body cams on police officers has seen a vast reduction in abuse complaints.

I could provide many links but searching "police camera statistics" will get you plenty enough.

Indeed...and I fully support mandatory body AND car cameras, both inside and out, and I want it to be criminal for officers to block and impossible to erase the cameras.
I just meant it is not a panacea, or catch all that will stop ALL bad behavior. That was not meant to imply that I think they're useless.

Deputy Shawn Glans is literally a dickhead.

Literally?